The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an “international organization helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalized economy,” released some startling facts about Toronto this week.
Apparently, traffic congestion in the region costs the entire country of Canada $3.3 billion in lost productivity each year. This comes as a result of several factors:
- Urban sprawl
- A disjointed public transit system
- Decades of underinvestment in public transit by Ottawa
We sit in traffic, unproductive and idle. Meanwhile, our idling cars emit noxious gases into the atmosphere, decaying the ozone layer and lining lungs everywhere with air pollution. And that’s just in Toronto.
If we’re to be more productive in our cars, Ontario erred in passing a law restricting the usage of cell phones in automobiles. That is also notwithstanding the fact that if the provincial government were serious about its efforts to keep drivers’ “eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” it would have completely banned cell phone usage while driving. After all, according to the Ministry of Transport, “driver distraction is a factor in 20 per cent of all road accidents.” But I digress.
I’m not even quite sure what kind of productivity we are expected to produce while driving, but whatever it is must surely be easier done with a phone in hand.
The fact is, if we are to be more productive in our cars, Ontario erred in passing the law restricting the usage of cell phones in automobiles. If the aim is to increase productivity while driving (which also defeats the purpose of attempting to eliminate driver distraction), let us use cell phones.
Better still, offer us a reasonable alternative to driving.
Realistically, the TTC is not a reasonable alternative to driving. Nor is any public transit system in Toronto, as the OECD notes that “transit service in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area has not kept pace with population growth.”
Don’t tell us to use the TTC. Instead, make it more attractive to potential riders. Transit City is on the right track, though light years behind, and – given the bureaucracy inherent in Toronto and the TTC – indefinitely ongoing. Hell, I’d sit through 10 years of traffic congestion, construction, and closed roads if it meant my kids would grow up with a transit system on par with those in New York, Hong Kong or London.
We don’t want to be told to use the TTC, we want to want to use the TTC.
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Tagged: Toronto, TTC, New York, Traffic, Canada, Ontario, government, OECD, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, traffic congestion, traffic congestion toronto, traffic toronto, productivity, Canada productivity, Toronto productivity, lost productivity, Canada lost productivity, Toronto lost productivity, driving productivity, driving lost productivity, urban sprawl, public transit, transit, Ottawa, unproductive, idle, cars, automobiles, car, automobile, drive, drivers, driving, cell phone, cell phone ban, cell phone driving, cell phones ban, cell phones driving, cell phone ontario, cell phone toronto, Ministry of Transport, TTC cell phone ban, TTC lost productivity, TTC OECD, OECD Toronto, TTC Transit City, Toronto Transit City, Transit City, Hong Kong, London, New York transit, London transit, Hong Kong transit
This afternoon’s Toronto Star has a story about the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Maple Leafs and their farm team, the Toronto Marlies, and how they may have “jumped the line,” already receiving H1N1 vaccinations. This comes on the heels of a similar controversy with Calgary’s NHL team, the Flames. Ontario’s Health Minister Deb Matthews is, apparently, outraged at the situation in Toronto, and deemed it “unacceptable“.
The reason it’s at all an issue is the Ontario government received a limited supply of the vaccination – enough to immunize 2.2 million people – and expects to run out by the end of this week (that’s tomorrow… To The Clinics! Swarm! Swarm!). That said, the province set out strict regulations prioritizing groups to be inoculated with the first wave of medicine: pregnant women, children between six months and less than five years of age, people under the age of 65 with chronic conditions, and those living in remote communities.
My question is this: Is the issue here really NHL players receiving preferential treatment and early vaccinations?
It seems to me this is an opportunity for the Ontario government to distract the media and the public from their own bungling of the vaccinations and “priority groups” by bringing up the age-old argument of wealth and status giving way to said preferential treatment. The public rarely sympathizes with millionaire athletes, and likely even less so in the face of a mass pandemic. Still, athletes have been receiving top-shelf, preferential medical treatment for decades now. Why should it be any different in this case?
The people writing the government’s messaging surely are aware of this, and strategically used it to craft a message positioning the sad-sack Maple Leafs as the bad guys here, while the government strives to deliver vaccinations to the general public. Haven’t the Leafs suffered enough this young season? Now they’re villainous vaccination pirates, stealing life-saving inoculations from the arms of women, children and the elderly? Give me a break.
Ontario, Deb Matthews, City of Toronto, and all your respective communication departments: Concentrate on the real issues affecting your constituents, citizens and stakeholders. Stop creating controversy where there is none and instead focus your efforts on improving the situation.
Now, while the on-ice product may have you fooled, the Toronto Maple Leafs actually have no players in the priority group for vaccination. Just for fun though…
Pregnant Woman?
Children between six months and less than five years of age?
People under the age of 65 with chronic conditions?
Those living in remote communities?
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: Toronto, Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs, Leafs, NHL, City of Toronto, Toronto Raptors, Raptors, Toronto Star, Raps, Toronto Marlies, Marlies, AHL, NBA, Calgary, Flames, Calgary Flames, H1N1, vaccination, vaccinations, H1N1 Toronto, H1N1 Calgary, H1N1 Maple Leafs, H1N1 Raptors, H1N1 Marlies, H1N1 Flames, Ontario, Ontario Health Minister, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews, Deb Matthews, Health Minister, controversy, vaccination Maple Leafs, vaccination Raptors, vaccination Marlies, vaccination Flames, government, pregnant women, children between six months and less than five years of age, people under the age of 65 with chronic conditions, those living in remote communities, media, public, distract, distract public, distract media, preferential treatment, millionaire athletes, mass pandemic, athletes, messaging, sad-sack Maple Leafs, Colton Orr, Luke Schenn, Jason Blake, Phil Kessel, Mike Van Ryn, Vesa Toskala
Thursday, October 1, 2009. Toronto Maple Leafs fans have had this day circled on their calendars since the Leafs’ inglourious end to the 2008-09 NHL season. Over the course of the off-season, GM Brian Burke and Assistant GM Dave Nonis have retooled the Leafs, supposedly transforming them into a tough and truculent team. We shall see. Today, with a day left before the official start of the 2009-10 NHL season, Toronto fans have already been promised they’ll see the Leafs in the playoffs for the first time in four years, and there is a considerable buzz around the team. Of course, in Toronto, every year is The Year.
In honour of the Leafs’ annual ineptitude and their fans’ annual irrational optimism, a few Leaf jokes to start the season. Feel free to leave your own. Or you can just steal these. That’s what I did. Sorry Dean Blundell Show. (i’m not really sorry)
Q. Where is the red-light district located in Toronto?
A. Behind the Leafs’ net.
Q. What do the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays all have in common?
A. They all wish they could play hockey.
Q. What happens when Hamilton gets a Bona Fide NHL team?
A. Toronto will want one too.
Q. What does a Leafs fan do after Toronto wins the Stanley Cup?
A. Turns off his Xbox.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 102.1, 102.1 The Edge, 2009-10 NHL season, Blue Jays, Brian Burke, Colbert on notice, Dave Nonis, Dean Blundell, Dean Blundell 102.1 the EDGE, Dean Blundell EDGE 102, Dean Blundell EDGE102, Dean Blundell Show, Edge 102, Edge102, Hamilton, Hamilton NHL, hockey, Inglourious, Inglourious Basterds, Jays, Leafs, Maple Leafs, NHL, Raptors, season opener, Stanley Cup, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Toronto, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Stanley Cup, truculent, truculent Leafs, truculent Maple Leafs, Xbox
“Hey, how’s married life?”
Oh wow, what a great line. I’ve never heard that one before. Great. I hope you say it again next time we talk.
“So? How does it feel to be married?”
That’s a brilliantly thought-out and sensible question, one I was hoping someone would ask me. It feels the same, thanks. I’m looking forward to you asking me again soon.
After my girl and I got married, I quickly realized that everyone was asking me the same questions over and over again, where before there may have been just awkward pauses in conversation. Marriage (and later, children) seems to beget a breakdown in the art of conversation, where said marriage (or children) become the only topics of conversation. What’s up with that, yo?
No offense to anyone who asks these questions, as I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it in the past, but it’s as though marriage suddenly becomes the “safety” topic of conversation. Don’t know what to say while we’re in the elevator? Ask me what’s different in my life now that I’m married. At a loss for words when we run into each other on the street? Ask me if I’m there only because my wife let me out. Not sure how to respond when I threaten to punch you in the face if you ask me about marriage one more time? Ask me about marriage one more time. Go ahead. Ask. Seriously. I insist.
I understand that for some, being married is a common bond between people, where there may be no other links or threads. So these people bring it up because they have nothing else to bring up. For others, marriage is a mystery, one they may or may not hope to unravel one day. So these people bring up the topic of marriage because they are genuinely curious. But some people just bring up marriage for the sake of bringing it up, because they know that failing all else, they can ask about your wife. Or Husband. Or kids. Or bastard stepchildren. It’s quite annoying really. But I digress.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: annoying, awkward, bastard, bastard stepchildren, children questions, how's married life, husband, kids, marriage, marriage ask questions, marriage conversation, marriage conversation topic, marriage is a mystery, marriage topic, married, married life, married questions, newlyweds, punch you in the face, questions, questions after marriage, questions after wedding, stepchildren, wedding, wedding ask questions, wife
Say hello to an invitation I wrote for a BBQ at my place a few years back. One day, I plan on doing something lucrative with these invitations, so keep your eyes open and tell your friends. Seriously.
THE DANIEL’S BI-ANNUAL POLIO AWARENESS BBQ AND NEWLY ADDED LUPUS FUN RUN!
“I hear you moved your BBQ to this weekend.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Hey man…. wasn’t this BBQ supposed to happen a few weeks ago?”
“Yeah.”
“…. And?”
“And what? It didn’t happen.”
“I know it didn’t happen. That’s why I asked about it Not happening when you had originally scheduled it.”
“Oh.”
“… So?”
“So what?
“So why didn’t you have the BBQ?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Obviously you couldn’t have the BBQ. If you Could have had the BBQ you Would have had the BBQ. But you Didn’t have the BBQ. So I’m asking you… WHY didn’t you have the BBQ?”
“I don’t know. Because.”
“Because what?”
“Because I couldn’t.”
“You already said that!”
“You ask too many questions.”
“I only asked you one question!”
“I’m pretty sure you asked me more than one question.”
“Are you crazy? I asked you why the BBQ wasn’t happening. That’s it.”
“Are you sure? It seems like you asked me more than just that.”
“That’s because I’ve asked you at least SIX times already!”
“Why would you ask me the same question six times?
“Because you never answer me!”
“… Oh. Ok then.”
“Ok then what? What about the BBQ?”
“What about it? It’s this weekend.”
“I Know That! I’m asking you: Why Didn’t Your BBQ Happen Last Week!?”
“Didn’t you already ask me that?”
“YOU NEVER ANSWERED ME!”
“Oh.”
“… What do you mean ‘Oh’?! I’m asking you a goddamn question! Answer the goddamn question!”
“You’re asking me what I mean by ‘Oh’? I don’t know… it’s just something you say. An interjection. Used to express an emotion or in response to physical stimuli …”
“THE BBQ! THE BBQ! I’M ASKING YOU ABOUT THE BBQ!”
“Oh. The BBQ.”
“Yes!”
“Well…”
“Well what?!”
“… It’s this weekend.”
“I am going to fucking murder you.”
“… Oh. Ok.”
SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! @ 1PM
August 5th, this year of our Lord, 2007
The DNL’S BACKYARD! BACKYARD! BACKYARD!
(Street address) in sunny, charming downtown (lame suburb).
BYOB! BYOB! BYOB! (and maybe some food, I can’t feed every last one of your wretched souls)
(the usual alliteration, if you please…)
BBQ – BEEF – BOOZE – BEER – BROADS – BOYS – BUD – BEATS – BASKETBALL
NO HOMERS!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Deep and Heavy Breathing? notdaniel@gmail.com.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: 2007, awareness, backyard, basketball, BBQ, BBQ invitation, BBQ invite, beats, beef, beer, bi-annual, booze, boys, broads, bud, BYOB, Fun Run, homers, invite. inivitation, Lupus, Lupus Fun Run, no homer, no homers, Polio, Polio awareness, wretched souls, year of our Lord, year of our Lord 2007
